April 2016 Issue Do You Remember These?   Whether you are an old timer who (fondly or not so fondly) remembers "Ma Bell" or a newcomer to IT on your way to greatness; we combed the internet to find some old relics (we're talking about the machines, now) that we thought you'd enjoy. Back in the day, businesses often referred to themselves as a ROLM shop or a Nortel shop. And, there were the Dimension folks too. That's a Nortel Meridian switch off to the right; very popular in the 1980s. In those days you needed plenty of room in the back of your office to house one of these systems. And there are still some out there chugging along. It goes without saying that this was back when "clouds" were puffy and white and words like "wireless" pertained primarily to transistor technology. A term like "VoIP" would have had people shaking their heads.   Then there were those stylish front office consoles. Do any of these look familiar?  Now here's a questions for you. Does anyone out there remember the days before the fax machine as we know it today? Did you "Quip"? To send a single sheet via this early version of the fax machine would take about 10 minutes. But, hey, it was the 80's man! We did actually have "live chat". It was called Telex, and it was the best way to avoid those outrageous overseas calls. Sort of a cross between a teletype and a phone. Some are still used today. Really. And, yes, we finally got around to inventing a cell phone. What a blast to be able to speak to your friends on your way to their house! But those battery packs weighed a ton! Then came the oh-so-stylish Palm Pilot with its screen and lots of confusing buttons; but it blew everything else out of the water. And, as fate (and Steve Jobs) would have it, we finally got around to the iPhone, BYOD, and all the other great things that have changed our telecom world forever. Don't remember any of this? Good. you have a long life ahead of you to rack up your own memories. You'll no doubt be showing your kids and grandkids pictures of the iPhone 6 and saying "Believe it or not, this was considered a major innovation." And they will probably say "Wait a minute. You had to touch a screen?" Now that we've had our stroll down memory lane, it might make sense to take stock of your own back room. What needs updating? Replacing? Whether you need help integrating old technology with new technology or are just eager to get control over the ever-mounting costs of telecom, contact us and we'll be glad to put our seasoned team of experts on the job for you. -Kevin Young, CEO/Founder, CDR-Data Stay Connected           Are You Going to the all.gcuc Event?  ABCN has joined alliances with gcuc for an exciting conference May 3rd through May 6th in LA. It's all about new ways of working that you don't want to miss! Find out more here.  Hope to see you there!  How Far Back Do You Want to Go?  Want to dig a little deeper into the "dark ages" of telecom? We found a great site that gives you a virtual tour of the early days of telecom. You can visit the site here.  Enjoy!  About CDR-DATA CDR-Data applications are supported by products that, collectively, provide  you with all the resources needed to  effectively manage your communications and personnel expenses without having to add resources. eCDR®: All the reporting options and flexibility needed to effectively manage and allocate telecommunications expense. Easy to use and customizable.     eBill-Back®: Fast, accurate telecommunications billing system for business centers, shared-tenant environments and any business requiring bill back of end users. Call us or drop us an email: cdrinfo@cdrdata.com. Visit us at www.cdrdata.com.         CDR-DATA| | mchin@cdrdata.com | http://cdrdata.com PO Box 41141 Pasadena, CA 91114 www.cdrdata.com Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.